Chapter 267: Mysticism

Throughout September, The Matrix wrapped up all its martial arts sequences and fully pivoted to dramatic scenes. The action choreography team from Hong Kong concluded their work and departed Fox Studios. While keeping a firm grip on the production, Duke also handed several shots over to Zack Snyder, allowing him to hone his practical directing skills while familiarizing himself with the franchise.

With both units shooting simultaneously, production progressed far faster than anticipated. Furthermore, aside from a certain mystical flair, the dramatic scenes weren't particularly difficult. The only major hurdle left was Bullet Time.

As planned, Duke had pushed the Bullet Time sequences to the very end of the schedule. John Schwartzman and the visual effects team from Industrial Light and Magic had already run extensive tests based on Duke's concepts, successfully figuring out an effective way to shoot them.

Before they got there, however, a substantial number of dramatic scenes still needed to be filmed.

"I want the simplest setup possible!"

Standing on the green-screen stage, Duke instructed the set designer, "Clear out everything else. Keep nothing but two armchairs and a television."

Seeing the set designer nod earnestly, Duke turned to Schwartzman and added, "John, remember to get a close-up of the television and the logo!"

The television for this scene was neither an antique nor some futuristic prototype, but a newly released model from their sponsor, perfectly aligned with the everyday aesthetics of the era.

Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne walked over. Duke gave them a few final pointers before retreating behind the director's monitor.

"Scene one hundred seventy-two, take one hundred thirteen..." The clapper loader held the slate in front of the camera lens. "Action!"

"...Is it really that hard to believe?"

Wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses, Laurence Fishburne walked over to his chair and addressed a curious-looking Keanu Reeves. "Your clothes are different. The plugs in your arms are gone."

Reeves looked down at his body, and Fishburne continued to explain the differences from reality.

Duke kept his eyes fixed on Keanu Reeves through the monitor. Frankly speaking, it made sense that the actor's career had slipped rather than soared in recent years. It had been six years since Speed, and while Reeves's acting had improved, that progress was extremely limited. Furthermore, he lacked the distinct personal style of future stars like Johnny Depp and Will Smith, or even a current A-lister like Tom Cruise. His performances and overall aura were simply too generic. Without exceptional acting chops to back him up, it was impossible to sustain a career at the very top for long.

Combined with the rumors regarding his personality, he really wasn't a good fit for this vanity fair.

"Is this real?"

Keanu Reeves walked up to the armchair and touched it, trying his best to muster a bewildered expression.

"What is real?"

After more than a month of filming, Laurence Fishburne had completely grasped the essence of being "cool," and asked coolly, "How do you define real?"

"If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. The world as you know it is exactly such a world..."

Laurence Fishburne picked up the television remote. John Schwartzman pulled the main camera aside along the dolly track, while another cameraman operating a Steadicam stepped up behind the actors to film.

Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne sat down in the armchairs. "This is the world at the end of the twentieth century..."

"Cut!"

The long take concluded. Although Keanu Reeves's performance had been mediocre, it met Duke's requirements.

"That's a print! Reset the stage!" Duke called out.

They were scheduled to shoot all of Neo and Morpheus's debates regarding the illusion and reality of the world back-to-back on this very green screen. The stagehands removed the television and one armchair, positioned another chair against the green backdrop, and filming resumed.

Laurence Fishburne still carried the air of a charismatic mystic, while Keanu Reeves's acting showed absolutely no signs of improvement. Duke wasn't overly strict when it came to acting requirements anyway—and even if he had been, Keanu Reeves might not have been able to pull it off.

For three consecutive days, Duke focused entirely on filming the scenes between Neo and Morpheus, handing all location shoots over to Zack Snyder. The film didn't have a massive amount of location work anyway. Snyder had been deeply influenced by Duke over the years; his concepts and techniques closely mirrored Duke's own style, meaning Duke didn't need to worry too much.

Besides, he would personally review every single shot Snyder filmed.

Compared to the grueling production of Chicago, this crew—from the prop department to the cinematographers, and from the assistants to the assistant directors—was thoroughly accustomed to the rhythm and workflow of a sci-fi film. Everyone maintained excellent form, resulting in incredible efficiency. With Duke and Zack Snyder both pushing forward simultaneously, the actual production pace remained far ahead of schedule.

A handful of massive explosion sequences posed the greatest challenge. However, since the film needed to highlight the stark contrast between the virtual world and reality, most of these would be generated via CGI. There was only one practical explosion to be shot on set: the blast Neo and Trinity triggered during their rescue of Morpheus.

The visual effects team at Industrial Light and Magic had finished building the miniatures well in advance. Joss William had also flown in from Los Angeles to Sydney with a few of his assistants. With plenty of prior communication between the two teams, the work quickly got on track.

"We're finally working together again!"

Seeing Duke again, Joss William seemed quite excited. "When you went off to shoot Chicago last year, I took on another film, but the gap between that director and you was staggering. His understanding of explosions was completely superficial. All he cared about was making the biggest boom possible. He didn't realize that not all explosions are the same, or that there are so many different techniques you can utilize..."

He shook his head. "Working with him was an absolute disaster. Duke, I hope you keep blowing things up forever..."

He paused and let out a heavy sigh. "I almost forgot. Your next project is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. You won't be needing me for that, either."

"Haven't things been going smoothly between you and Zack?" Duke gently patted his shoulder. "If this film succeeds and spawns two sequels, you'll have plenty of chances to work with him."

"That's great!"

In Hollywood, it wasn't just directors who needed a crew they were familiar with; the various crew members also preferred long-term collaborations with directors they knew well.

"Joss, the rest is up to you."

Duke always felt at ease with his long-term collaborators. After offering his encouragement, he stepped back behind the monitor.

Joss William led his team into the man-sized miniature models to lay down the wiring and conduct final checks. Half an hour later, he finally notified Duke that they were ready.

'It's been far too long since our last explosion!'

There weren't many explosive set pieces in this film, Duke noted inwardly. He raised his megaphone and shouted, "Clear the set! Five minutes! Clear the set! Everyone back up fifty feet!"

Even though they hadn't filmed a major explosion in nearly two years, the crew members knew the drill perfectly. They methodically wrapped up their final preparations and retreated to their designated safe zones.

"Joss!"

Once the time was up, Duke personally called out, "Countdown, prepare to detonate!"

"Ten, nine, eight..." Joss William's countdown echoed across the set. "Three, two, one, fire!"

"BOOM...!"

With an earth-shattering roar, a scorching shockwave blasted out from the center of the miniature skyscraper. Billowing clouds of thick black smoke surged into the sky like a massive sandstorm. Scarlet flames blossomed with a violent, bewitching beauty, unfurling like brilliant spider lilies vying for attention.

A barrage of fierce explosions rang out in rapid succession. Support pillars buckled and snapped one after another. Chunks of shattered reinforced concrete plummeted like a meteor shower, crashing mercilessly onto the smooth marble floors. Shrapnel tore through the shattered glass facades and hurtled out onto the torn-up asphalt street. The windows of several model cars instantly disintegrated, blasting upward to form a bizarre, glittering rain of glass.

The miniature skyscraper tottered on the brink of collapse, while the fiery glow of the explosions seemed to pierce the very sky...

'It's been far too long since our last explosion!'

For some reason, the exact same thought popped into John Schwartzman's head as he scrambled to capture the fiery blasts on camera.

'It's been far too long since our last explosion!' The rest of the crew shared this exact sentiment. Especially when compared to the grueling grind of Chicago, the sheer chaos of these explosions was a welcome relief!

Watching the ferocious blasts on his monitor, Duke felt his normally calm blood begin to boil. It was a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time—a rush that felt like pure, innate instinct.

"Great!" Duke shouted. "Absolutely fantastic!"

Stepping out from behind the monitor, he stared out at the ruined miniature smoldering on the open stage and let out a long breath. Unfortunately, the film's practical explosions were limited, so he would have to be satisfied with this for the time being.

Snatching up his megaphone, Duke called out, "Company move! Back to Stage Seven!"

He turned to an assistant beside him. "Tell the actors to get ready!"

The set for the next scene had already been prepped; they were simply waiting for the explosions to wrap up. While an assistant director supervised the crew as they packed up the equipment, Duke headed back to the soundstage ahead of them.

An hour and a half later, cameras started rolling once more.

Over the deafening pulse of heavy music, Charlize Theron—clad in a tight, low-cut bodysuit—located Keanu Reeves.

"I'm Trinity." She pulled off her sunglasses, revealing her striking, icy features. "I was the one looking for you, Neo!"

Keanu Reeves leaned against the wall. "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot more than just your name..."

It was a fairly standard dramatic scene. However, per Duke's explicit instructions, John Schwartzman occasionally swept the camera lens downward, capturing a deliberate close-up of Charlize Theron's pronounced cleavage...

Production continued to proceed methodically, and Duke kept his focus entirely locked on the film—right up until mid-October, when news regarding Titanic finally arrived from North America.